1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an electronic system and method for accessing and providing standardized legal research services, and more particularly to an electronic system and method for virtual standardization and ordering of legal research projects on a network using standardized legal research instructions and complexity value/price calculations defined by the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most lawyers must obtain legal research during the representation of their clients, often under very tight deadlines. Traditionally, legal research has been performed by junior lawyers, law clerks and paraprofessionals employed within a law firm or similar organization. Legal research assignments are usually given in time-consuming, face-to-face meetings or in memoranda where the legal issue to be researched and non-specific legal research instructions are discussed. This traditional way of obtaining legal research is often inefficient in that (a) confusion and misunderstandings result because the legal researcher is not given standardized legal research instructions and specifications, and (b) the legal research must be performed internally, at the expense of other important activities of a law practice and at the cost of recruiting, employing and supervising researchers (attorneys or paraprofessionals) even though legal research needs vary over time.
Recently, independent legal research providers external to law firms and similar organizations have begun to offer legal research services on an outsourcing basis. Although these providers may often be contact through Internet web sites, lawyers and others desiring to purchase legal research from them cannot do so in a standardized, automated fashion utilizing the Internet or any other automated system. Lawyers and other purchasers must still hold time-consuming meetings and/or telephone conversations with these providers to discuss the legal issue to be researched and the research parameters, again creating confusion and misunderstandings because standardized and specific legal research instructions and specifications are not given. This is particularly problematic given the advent of offshore outsourcing of legal research to other countries, such as India, where legal language and customs vary and communications are difficult. Additionally, lawyers and other purchasers must engage in time-consuming negotiations with these providers over the terms of the engagement and develop and execute purchase or service agreements. Because each legal research project is sui generis, and the amount of time to complete a legal research project is difficult to predict, most independent legal research providers insist on being paid on an open-ended hourly basis, creating a risk of cost overruns for purchasers and making the service less attractive.
What is desired, therefore, is an apparatus, system and method for automating the ordering, valuation, pricing and provision of legal research that systematizes and standardizes complex legal research instructions and specifications and calculates values and prices for each customized legal research project, allowing lawyers and other acquirers/purchasers of legal research to obtain legal research quickly and efficiently at fixed prices quoted in advance. Also desired is an automated system that allows legal research providers to standardize legal research instructions and specifications and that allows for the automated settlement of transactions, for example by credit card.